Voices of WRJ - Acharei Mot I

by Linn Ullenbrauck The 7^th day of Passover is a pretty special time. This week is unique as there are two different parashahs read during this Shabbat. For the 7^th day of Passover there is a special reading from B’Shalach. In this portion we recount Pharaoh’s anger after the loss of his son. He decides to pursue the Israelites and encounters them at the edge of the Red Sea. God gives Moses the ability to stretch his staff and the sea parts so the Israelites can cross into the land of Canaan. God stops Pharaoh and his men with a pillar of fire but then the fire dies down and allows the Egyptians to go after the Israelites. Unbeknownst to them, God had other plans. Once the Israelites reached the other side, Moses stretched his staff and a miracle happened that the sea roared back to its original state. It is in this parashah that a poem is read on the 7^th day of Passover called The Song of the Sea. The Song of the Sea was supposedly sung by the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea in safety. It celebrates the destruction of the Egyptian army during the crossing, and looks forward to the future conquest of Canaan. The Song of the Sea is considered one of the oldest texts describing the Exodus. The second reading is the actual parashah read on Shabbat morning, Acharei Mot. It begins with God talking to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, who died because they drew too close to the presence of the Lord. God instructs Moses on what Aaron must do to purge the Shrine of the impurity and transgression of the Israelites; whatever their sins were, they must be purged. He shall take animal offerings to make atonement for himself and his household. He shall purge the Shrine of the uncleanness and transgression of the Israelites, whatever their sins, and shall do the same for the Tent of Meeting to make it holy. Throughout this reading is a detailed description of the priestly rituals of sacrifice and purification of the shrine, the sprinkling of the blood, the laws of eating meat and sexual limits. The Torah instructs us to observe Yom Kippur as a Day of Atonement and we must abstain from work and “afflict” ourselves. God instructs what you can do and what you can't do. He basically says here is what I might do to you if you don't follow my instructions. This is a sacred time of year for us when affiliated sisterhoods or women’s groups, along with the WRJ districts, review the rules of their bylaws and nominating committees to make their selection for the new board slates for the upcoming terms. It is a time for putting faith and trust in women to follow the guidelines set forth by their predecessors to make decisions on who the next leaders will be. We must be careful and follow the bylaws that tell us what the rules are within each organization. Policies and procedures are the documents describing how those rules should be followed. The women who become leaders follow the ritual of saying yes and stepping up to lead in representing their respective holy organizations. The nominating committee from my own sisterhood just completed this ritual and announced the board slate for the new fiscal term. I am thrilled with the women who said yes to accept leadership roles and accept the sacred responsibilities before them. I hope all of you will embrace your leaders as I do and follow them as they make their sacred journey through the wilderness of sisterhood! Linn Ullenbrauck is a member of the WRJ Board of Directors, currently serving as the New Affiliates co-chair and on the WRJ General Fund Recognition Committee. She is also the WRJ Midwest District VP, Marketing and Communications, and is a past president of Sisterhood Temple Beth Israel in Skokie, IL.